Bad Santa fired from mall gig after parents complain on Facebook

If you find your mall Santa experience unsatisfactory this year, be sure to complain on Facebook.

It could get Santa fired.

That’s what happened at the Maine Mall in Portland. On Monday, Mother Jess Mailhiot wrote on the mall’s Facebook page that the mall’s Santa refused to let her young daughter sit on his lap because she didn’t purchase pictures:

Because we did not purchase any photo packages the gentleman mumble something to Santa and when my daughter who is six was going to sit on his lap Santa put his hands together and placed them on his legs so she couldn’t sit on him. Santa was not attentive and brushed her off all because we did not purchase pictures. Why don’t you just put up a sign saying NO PICTURES NO SANTA. My daughter was hurt and I so disappointed. Shame on you!

Maine Mall’s policy, it stressed on Facebook, is that purchasing pictures is completely optional, and admitted that the Claus Mailhiot met was “very grumpy.” But that wasn’t his only alleged offense.

Speaking to local news reporters, Mailhiot’s daughter went further, saying that she asked for an American Girl doll, but that the Santa replied she’d receive an “American football” instead.

Other parents chimed in on the same Facebook page.

“we did purchase a package, he broke all 3 of my girls hearts by brushing them off and not even responding to them when they talked to him! extremely disappointed and bummed,” wrote Kari Henderson.

“I took Bella and her friend,” wrote Trish Moulton. “Santa told her friend she didn’t really want what she asked for. The girls are 8 and said Santa was being weird.”

“Very disappointed in Santa this year,” wrote Ka Judice. “He made my 11 year old son cry – basically told him he was being greedy.”

That was enough for the Maine Mall to fire that Santa, it posted to Facebook

“We have a new Santa who started today,” read the announcement. “We were delighted to see him happily waving and chatting with kids as they passed.”

Though that placated some users, a few weren’t satisfied. Ken Moore for instance, demanded the mall think of the children:

“When it happens its bad for the parents and others, but what about the kids that still want to believe. They deserve to feel that they have been in the presents [sic] of the real Santa.”

A former senior politics reporter for the Daily Dot, Kevin Collier focuses on privacy, cybersecurity, and issues of importance to the open internet. Since leaving the Daily Dot in March 2016, he has served as a reporter for Vocativ and a cybersecurity correspondent for BuzzFeed.